O.J. Simpson walks out of Nevada prison after 9 years (Video)

The former NFL star left prison shortly after midnight local time, and was picked up by an unidentified friend, according to Brooke Keast , a spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Corrections.

“I told him, ‘don’t ‘come back,’ and he responded, ‘I don’t intend to, ‘” she said. “He was upbeat, personable and seemed happy to get on with his life.”

Unlike previous instances, where controversy followed wherever he went, Simpson was released in the middle of the night to to avoid media attention.

“Our biggest concern was our safety and the public’s safety and not wanting anybody, paparazzi, to follow him,” Keast said. “He left through a big blue door through the front gatehouse and exited quietly. He looked down because he didn’t want to be photographed.